How do you clean your car?

[Si|v3r72]

Until yesterday, I took a rather mundane and easy approach to cleaning my Z - wash and if I had time, wax with regular car care products, i.e. Turtle Wax products or whatever I had laying around.

I decided it was time to do my car some justice and give it the royal treatment, so I invested in a Mother's car care system - wash, pre-wax cleaner, clay bar and speed shine, glaze and sealer, and carnuba wax. My neighbor had suggested using Griott's, but their stuff is too expensive for my budget. That said, I still spent about $60 on Mother's stuff.

I undertook this task yesterday morning, and finished 11 hours later. I was completely worn out and my arms still ache, but damn my Z looks so good. A few more coats of carnuba and it'll be easy cleaning for the rest of the year.

Here's the process I applied:

1) Hand wash and shammy dry.

2) Hand apply and remove pre-wax cleaner.

3) Clay bar entire car using speed shine for lubricant.

4) Hand apply and remove Glaze and Sealer.

5) Hand apply and remove carnuba wax.

6) Buff entire car with random orbitol buffer.

Lots of work, but my baby deserves it!

[ZmeFly]

except the clay bar. i also used to make sure all craks and jams were clean, under the wheels windexing and wiping down the springs and struts. getting under the hood and doing the engine bay.

i was quite anal but not as much now. just do the three step wash, cleaner wax, mirror glaze, then gold class carnuba, and i use meguires.

it is true thow when you first go threw this it hurts but once you get it down to the nitty gritty and you have that good coat of wax on it, its easy to keep looking top notch.

oh by the way, no pics?????

[Si|v3r72]

, no pics. i finished in the dark last night. i'll try to snap a few soon, but the weather looks like rain for the next few days. after all that work i have to keep her in the garage .

i didn't do jambs or any underbody, i simply didn't have time. they're next on the list!

[beandip]

when you get to the interior , use turtle wax for the vinal , dont use Armor all it collects dirt and screws withe the polymers in the plastic and will add in the demise of the dash. Using a wax that has a high content of carnuba in it has been the way to go since Christ wore knickers. It lasts the best and looks the best, but the more of the wax in the compound ,the harder it is to do. But worth it. forgive me about the refrence to the big guy. :classic:

[ZmeFly]

msa and get yourself some por-15 boss gloss. this is some truely excellent shyte!!!!!

it wont hurt your plastic and or vynil and it actually has uv inhibitors in it to block that nasty mean old sunROFL

seriously though this is an excellent product

[Alfadog]

I washed my baby today too

No polish yet, will do that tomorrow hopefully.

[tanny]

Man that picture makes me feel like squat. My silver 73 still has it's totally, deeply oxidized paint(it's actually very dull gray at this point). Need to hurry up on the paint job. Your Z looks nice and shiny. (Something to be said for cosmetics. Even though I have the mechanicals and interior on my Z in pretty much great shape at this point, I still have to look at that nasty old paint). Victor.

[Si|v3r72]

Dang Alfadog, it's amazing how much your car looks like mine. Great photo!

[Alfadog]

Too bad about the rust

I used some Autosol metal cleaner this morning to get at the wheels - DAMN they've come up well. I dont think these wheels have been been cleaned ever the amount of dirt that was on them.

I've only done one wheel so far, and it took about half an hour of tough rubbing, but it came out like chrome